Research

Prestigious awards, practical experience

Boston College is committed to providing an array of research opportunities for undergraduates. In the humanities, the sciences, business, and education, students have a chance to gain exposure to new methods and lead their own research projects.

RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP RECIPIENTS

Study Guides

In 1997, the University created the undergraduate research fellowship program to support student involvement in faculty research projects. This past summer, 171 rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors were engaged in studies conducted in 16 departments in the College of Arts and Sciences. A sampling follows.

Environmental Sciences

Grace Lisius ’16 and Gabrielle David, visiting assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences, are studying riparian vegetation as part of a project by Noah Snyder, associate professor of earth and environmental sciences, to assess effects of the 2008 removal of the Merrimack Village Dam. Here, they record plant diversity within a one-by-one-meter frame on the banks of the Souhegan River in Merrimack, New Hampshire.

Mathematics

Assistant professor of mathematics John Baldwin, Cynthia Chen ’17, Champ Davis ’17, and Andrew Araghi ’16 study certain aspects of Khovanov homology, which, is a powerful knot invariant that has received a tremendous amount of interest for its surprising connections between seemingly disparate mathematical fields. The students’ responsibilities include, writing a computer program to compute a certain ‘module structure’ on Khovanov homology.

Political Science

Emily Vasiliou ’16 worked with associate professor of political science Jonathan Laurence on his book comparing the institutional development of Ottoman Islam and Roman Catholicism. “I did a lot of research on the Ottoman Empire, the influence of the Islamic state, and recent protests in the Middle East, as well as on current Middle Eastern leaders,” said Vasiliou.

Original Thinking

FUNDING A WIDE ARRAY OF SUMMER PROJECTS IN LOCATIONS AROUND THE GLOBE.

Some grants take their researchers overseas, like John Sege's works in Pantasma, Nicaragua, investigating solutions to providing clean, easy access to drinking water.